High Oscillospira abundance indicates constipation and low BMI in the Guangdong Gut Microbiome Project

Abstract Oscillospira is a common yet rarely cultivated gut bacterial genus. Recently human gut microbiota studies have demonstrated its underlying significance for host health. However, little is known about Oscillospira-related host information and the links between Oscillospira and other members of the gut microbial community. To study the ecology of Oscillospira and gain insights into Oscillospira-related host physiological conditions, we analyzed data from the Guangdong Gut Microbiome Project, one of the largest gut microbiota database currently. Data of 6376 participants were analyzed. We studied the prevalence and relative abundance of Oscillospira as well as the profiles of associated microbial communities. We found that Oscillospira is closely related to human health because its abundance was positively correlated with microbial diversity, high density lipoprotein, and sleep time, and was inversely correlated with diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, uric acid and Bristol stool type. Moreover, random forest analysis with five-fold cross validation showed Oscillospira could be a predictor of low BMI and constipation in the subset. Overall, in this study, we provide a basic understanding of Oscillospira-related microbiota profile and physiological parameters of the host. Our results indicate Oscillospira may play a role in aggravating constipation.

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Sleep fragmentation increases blood pressure and is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome and fecal metabolome in rats

Physiological Genomics ◽

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00039.2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (7) ◽

pp. 280-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Katherine A. Maki ◽

Larisa A. Burke ◽

Michael W. Calik ◽

Miki Watanabe-Chailland ◽

Dagmar Sweeney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Mean Arterial Pressure ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Arterial Pressure ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Sleep Fragmentation ◽

Cardiovascular Pathology ◽

Acid Producing Bacteria ◽

Gut Microbial Community

The gut microbiota, via the production of metabolites entering the circulation, plays a role in blood pressure regulation. Blood pressure is also affected by the characteristics of sleep. To date, no studies have examined relationships among the gut microbiota/metabolites, blood pressure, and sleep. We hypothesized that fragmented sleep is associated with elevated mean arterial pressure, an altered and dysbiotic gut microbial community, and changes in fecal metabolites. In our model system, rats were randomized to 8 h of sleep fragmentation during the rest phase (light phase) or were undisturbed (controls) for 28 consecutive days. Rats underwent sleep and blood pressure recordings, and fecal samples were analyzed during: baseline ( days −4 to −1), early sleep fragmentation ( days 0–3), midsleep fragmentation ( days 6–13), late sleep fragmentation ( days 20–27), and recovery/rest ( days 28–34). Less sleep per hour during the sleep fragmentation period was associated with increased mean arterial pressure. Analyses of gut microbial communities and metabolites revealed that putative short chain fatty acid-producing bacteria were differentially abundant between control and intervention animals during mid-/late sleep fragmentation and recovery. Midsleep fragmentation was also characterized by lower alpha diversity, lower Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio, and higher Proteobacteria in intervention rats. Elevated putative succinate-producing bacteria and acetate-producing bacteria were associated with lower and higher mean arterial pressure, respectively, and untargeted metabolomics analysis demonstrates that certain fecal metabolites are significantly correlated with blood pressure. These data reveal associations between sleep fragmentation, mean arterial pressure, and the gut microbiome/fecal metabolome and provide insight to links between disrupted sleep and cardiovascular pathology.

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Serum Apelin and Obesity-Related Complications in Egyptian Children

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2018.312 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 1354-1358 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Maged A. El Wakeel ◽

Ghada M. El-Kassas ◽

Alyaa H. Kamhawy ◽

Essam M. Galal ◽

Maysa S. Nassar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Serum Insulin ◽

Low Density Lipoprotein ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Z Score ◽

Obese Children ◽

Egyptian Children

BACKGROUND: The rapidly increasing prevalence of childhood obesity became a major burden on health worldwide, giving an alarm to clinicians and researchers. Adipocytes act as an active endocrine organ by releasing plenty of bioactive mediators (adipokines) that play a major role in regulating metabolic processes. Apelin is a recently identified adipokine that is expressed in adipocytes.AIM: The current work aimed to uncover the relation between serum apelin and childhood obesity and its related complications as hypertension and hyperglycemiaMETHOD: A group of 50 obese and 31 non-obese; sex- and age-matched children were enrolled in our study with a mean age of (9.5 ± 2.1) and (8.7 ± 1.3) respectively. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, were assessed in all studied participants, we also determined the lipid profile, serum insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, HOMA-IR and serum apelin.RESULTS: Obese children had higher levels of HbA1c, FBG, serum insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP Z-score); compared to controls (all P < 0.05). Apelin was significantly higher in obese children versus controls and correlated positively with BMI Z-Score (P = 0.008), DBP Z-Score (P = 0.02), cholesterol, TG (both P = 0.02), serum insulin (P = 0.003), FBG and HOMA-IR (both P = 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that FBG was the most effective factor in predicting the level of serum apelin (P = 0.04).CONCLUSION: This work supports the hypothesis that apelin may have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of health hazards related to obesity in children including insulin resistance, hypertension and a higher risk of occurrence of metabolic syndrome.

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The Gut Microbiota and Healthy Aging: A Mini-Review

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000490615 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (6) ◽

pp. 513-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Sangkyu Kim ◽

S. Michal Jazwinski

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Individual Variation ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Low Grade ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Gut Dysbiosis ◽

Age Related ◽

Host Health ◽

Nutrient Signaling

The gut microbiota shows a wide inter-individual variation, but its within-individual variation is relatively stable over time. A functional core microbiome, provided by abundant bacterial taxa, seems to be common to various human hosts regardless of their gender, geographic location, and age. With advancing chronological age, the gut microbiota becomes more diverse and variable. However, when measures of biological age are used with adjustment for chronological age, overall richness decreases, while a certain group of bacteria associated with frailty increases. This highlights the importance of considering biological or functional measures of aging. Studies using model organisms indicate that age-related gut dysbiosis may contribute to unhealthy aging and reduced longevity. The gut microbiome depends on the host nutrient signaling pathways for its beneficial effects on host health and lifespan, and gut dysbiosis disrupting the interdependence may diminish the beneficial effects or even have reverse effects. Gut dysbiosis can trigger the innate immune response and chronic low-grade inflammation, leading to many age-related degenerative pathologies and unhealthy aging. The gut microbiota communicates with the host through various biomolecules, nutrient signaling-independent pathways, and epigenetic mechanisms. Disturbance of these communications by age-related gut dysbiosis can affect the host health and lifespan. This may explain the impact of the gut microbiome on health and aging.

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The Role of Bioactive Compounds from Dietary Spices in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: An Overview

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu14010175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 175

Author(s):

Dana Hasan Alkhatib ◽

Abdul Jaleel ◽

Maryam Naveed Muhammad Tariq ◽

Jack Feehan ◽

Vasso Apostolopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Blood Glucose ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Preventive Measure ◽

Blood Lipid ◽

Lifestyle Changes

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of physiologically dysregulated parameters that can include elevated fasting blood glucose, high blood pressure, central obesity, increased triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, diabetes, elevated low density lipoprotein levels, and reduced high density lipoprotein levels in the blood. Effective clinical management of MetS is critical as it is strongly associated with long lasting and fatal complications in patients. Alongside standard care of lifestyle changes and medication, dietary supplements derived from herbal resources could be an alternative therapeutic strategy that is safe, efficient, culturally acceptable, and has few side effects. Of the dietary supplements, spicy foods have always been considered a great source of functional bioactive compounds. Herbal therapy is broadly used in many countries as a treatment or as a preventive measure in the management of MetS risk factors, including blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels. Herein, an attempt is made to evaluate the recent studies in the management of MetS with herbal alternatives, and to explore the possibility of their use as therapeutic treatments or supplements.

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Role of Biological Sex in the Cardiovascular-Gut Microbiome Axis

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine ◽

10.3389/fcvm.2021.759735 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Shuangyue Li ◽

Georgios Kararigas

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Biological Sex ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Host Health ◽

Health And Disease ◽

And Function ◽

Insight Into

There has been a recent, unprecedented interest in the role of gut microbiota in host health and disease. Technological advances have dramatically expanded our knowledge of the gut microbiome. Increasing evidence has indicated a strong link between gut microbiota and the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In the present article, we discuss the contribution of gut microbiota in the development and progression of CVD. We further discuss how the gut microbiome may differ between the sexes and how it may be influenced by sex hormones. We put forward that regulation of microbial composition and function by sex might lead to sex-biased disease susceptibility, thereby offering a mechanistic insight into sex differences in CVD. A better understanding of this could identify novel targets, ultimately contributing to the development of innovative preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for men and women.

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Improvement of nutritional intake for the low-income urban dwellers with hypertension in Malaysia

SAGE Open Medicine ◽

10.1177/2050312120960563 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205031212096056

Author(s):

Nurul Ain Azizan ◽

Hazreen Abdul Majid ◽

Azmi Nahar Mohamed ◽

Tin Tin Su

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Low Income ◽

Blood Pressure Measurement ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Home Blood Pressure ◽

Nutritional Intake ◽

Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽

Biochemical Profiles

Objective: To ascertain the effect of dietary practice modification and a peer-support home blood pressure monitoring program on the nutritional intake (macronutrients and micronutrients), blood pressure and biochemical profiles of hypertension patients in a low-income community setting. Methods: This is a pre- and post-measurement intervention study conducted in low-income community housing projects in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 90 participants aged 18 years and above with hypertension received intervention. The participants were divided into small groups and received instructions on the use of home blood pressure measurement. They also attended a series of talks on dietary intake modification and exercise demonstration for the first six months (active phase). In another 6 months (maintenance phase), they received only pamphlet and SMS reminders. Their anthropometry, blood pressure, dietary, and biochemical parameter changes were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of intervention. Results: Macronutrients and micronutrients showed a significant improvement at the end of 12-month dietary intervention. The energy, carbohydrate, protein, total fat, sodium, and potassium are showing significant reduction from baseline to end of the 12-month intervention. There is no significant reduction in blood pressure. Fasting blood glucose, renal sodium, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a significant improvement, after controlling for age and reported physical activity. Conclusion: The intervention improved the nutritional intake and biochemical profiles of the low-income urban population with hypertension. This promising result should be replicated in a larger scale study.

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The role of melatonin supplement in metabolic syndrome

Nutrition & Food Science ◽

10.1108/nfs-01-2019-0018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 965-977 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mina Bahrami ◽

Makan Cheraghpour ◽

Sima Jafarirad ◽

Pejman Alavinejad ◽

Bahman Cheraghian

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Study Groups ◽

The Body ◽

Double Blind ◽

Blood Concentrations ◽

Content Type ◽

Metabolic Syndrome Components

PurposeMetabolic syndrome contains metabolic disorders that have association with other chronic diseases. Melatonin is a bioactive compound which is found in plants and also produced in the body. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of melatonin supplement on metabolic syndrome components, also leptin and adiponectin blood concentrations in patients with metabolic syndrome.Design/methodology/approachA double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 70 subjects with metabolic syndrome. Participants received 6 mg/day melatonin or placebo before bedtime for 12 weeks. At the beginning and end of treatment period, blood samples were collected and biochemical parameters were measured. In addition, blood pressure and anthropometric indices were examined before and after the supplementation. Independent samplet-test was used to compare changes in metabolic syndrome components between the two study groups.FindingsResults showed a significant reduction in waist circumference (−1.54 vs −0.04 cm;p= 0.036), systolic blood pressure (−3.52 vs 0.79 mmHg;p= 0.020), diastolic blood pressure (−1.50 vs 1.73 mmHg;p= 0.014), serum leptin concentration (−2.54 vs 0.27ng/ml;p= 0.041) and an elevation in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (2.19 vs −0.79 mg/dl;p= 0.038) in the melatonin group compared to the placebo.Research limitations/implicationsIf insulin concentration had been measured, it might have revealed better interpretation of melatonin effect on fasting blood glucose.Originality/valueThis study showed that melatonin as a nutritional supplement improved most metabolic syndrome components and concentration of leptin in the melatonin group compared to the placebo.

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Guidelines for Transparency on Gut Microbiome Studies in Essential and Experimental Hypertension

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.13079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (6) ◽

pp. 1279-1293 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Francine Z. Marques ◽

Hamdi A. Jama ◽

Kirill Tsyganov ◽

Paul A. Gill ◽

Dakota Rhys-Jones ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Environmental History ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Blood Pressure Measurement ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Human Studies ◽

Experimental Hypertension

Hypertension is a complex and modifiable condition in which environmental factors contribute to both onset and progression. Recent evidence has accumulated for roles of diet and the gut microbiome as environmental factors in blood pressure regulation. However, this is complex because gut microbiomes are a unique feature of each individual reflecting that individual’s developmental and environmental history creating caveats for both experimental models and human studies. Here, we describe guidelines for conducting gut microbiome studies in experimental and clinical hypertension. We provide a complete guide for authors on proper design, analyses, and reporting of gut microbiota/microbiome and metabolite studies and checklists that can be used by reviewers and editors to support robust reporting and interpretation. We discuss factors that modulate the gut microbiota in animal (eg, cohort, controls, diet, developmental age, housing, sex, and models used) and human studies (eg, blood pressure measurement and medication, body mass index, demographic characteristics including age, cultural identification, living structure, sex and socioeconomic environment, and exclusion criteria). We also provide best practice advice on sampling, storage of fecal/cecal samples, DNA extraction, sequencing methods (including metagenomics and 16S rRNA), and computational analyses. Finally, we discuss the measurement of short-chain fatty acids, metabolites produced by the gut microbiota, and interpretation of data. These guidelines should support better transparency, reproducibility, and translation of findings in the field of gut microbiota/microbiome in hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

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Changes in Mouse Gut Microbial Community in Response to the Different Types of Commonly Consumed Meat

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms7030076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 76 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhimin Zhang ◽

Dapeng Li ◽

Rong Tang

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Low Density Lipoprotein ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Blood Lipid ◽

Chow Group ◽

Red Meat ◽

White Meat ◽

Different Types ◽

Lipid Metabolites ◽

Gut Microbial Community

The consumption of various meats prevalent throughout the world affects host health probably by associating with compositional shifts of gut microbiota. However, the responses of gut microbiota to different types of meat are not well understood. In this study, we explored the effects of cooked fish (white meat), and pork and beef (red meat) on gut microbiota and blood lipid metabolism in male C57BL/6 mice by comparing to those fed laboratory chow. Significant differences in microbial communities were observed among meat- and chow-fed mice. Compared with the chow group, the red and white meat groups obviously increased in abundance of Clostridium, and decreased in Prevotella abundance. The richness and diversity of gut microbiota were markedly decreased in the two red meat groups, with lower abundance of Oscillospira and higher abundance of Escherichia. Meanwhile, there were significant meat-related differences in blood lipid metabolites, with lower levels of high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, and in mice fed white, compared with red, meat. Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein was significantly lower in fish-fed mice. Our results indicate that different types of meat potentially influence gut microbial compositions and blood metabolic profiles, suggesting a need to focus on clinically relevant bacteria in gut microbiota associated with increasing meat consumption.

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Social and spatial inequalities in allostatic load among adults in China: a multilevel longitudinal study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031366 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. e031366

Author(s):

Fan Mao ◽

Thomas Astell-Burt ◽

Xiaoqi Feng ◽

Yunning Liu ◽

Jianqun Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Rate Ratio ◽

Allostatic Load ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Lipoprotein Cholesterol ◽

Spatial Inequalities ◽

University Level

ObjectivesTo investigate potential geographical and socioeconomic patterning of allostatic load (AL) in China.DesignMultilevel longitudinal study of the 2010 Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance linked to the National Death Surveillance up to 31 December 2015.SettingAll 31 provinces in China, not including Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan.Participants96 466 ≥ 18 years old (women=54.3%).ExposuresPerson-level educational attainment and mean years of education in counties.OutcomeAL was measured using clinical guidelines for nine biomarkers: body mass index; waist circumference; systolic blood pressure; diastolic blood pressure; fasting blood glucose; total cholesterol; triglycerides; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.ResultsMultilevel logistic regressions adjusted for sex, age, marital status, person-level education, county mean years of education and urban/rural reported ORs of 1.22 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.38) for 5-year all-cause mortality (n=3284) and 1.20 (1.04–1.37) for deaths from non-communicable diseases (n=2891) among people in AL quintile 5 (high) compared with quintile 1 (low). The median rate ratio estimated from unadjusted multilevel negative binomial regression showed AL clustered geographically (province=1.14; county=1.12; town=1.11; village=1.14). After adjusting for aforementioned confounders, AL remained higher with age (rate ratio 1.02, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.02), higher in women compared with men (1.17, 1.15 to 1.19), lower among singletons (0.83, 0.81 to 0.85) and widowers (0.96, 0.94 to 0.98). AL was lower among people with university-level compared with no education (0.92, 0.89 to 0.96), but higher in counties with higher mean education years (1.03, 1.01 to 1.05). A two-way interaction suggested AL was higher (1.04, 1.02 to 1.06) among those with university-level compared with no education within counties with higher mean years of education. Similar results were observed for alternative constructions of AL using 75th and 80th percentile cut-points.ConclusionsAL in China is patterned geographically. The degree of association between AL and person-level education seems to be dependent on area-level education, which may be a proxy for other contextual factors that warrant investigation.

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